Changing for the better
by The shadows in the forest
Summary: Kagome is a dishonor. After failing to please the matchmaker her parents disown her. With no where else to turn she poses as a man to restore honor to her family name. Loosely based on Mulan... r and r!


Chapter 1

Attack at the village and disaster at the matchmakers

By: Treelover, Mollicia, and Danica

A/N: This is loosely based off of the Disney movie Mulan.

A villager quietly sat in a large maple tree. It was his turn to keep night watch. He looked around nervously, even the smallest breeze making him jumpy. 'Damn this! Why did I get stuck with night watch?' He whined as the wind made rustling noises with the leaves.

"Anything there?" His companion inquired, noticing his friend's nervousness.

"I see nothing. Maybe they just made us take this watch to scare us." The man- boy- replied. The two boys had been caught sleeping during there earlier. This is pointless. Why must we keep watch? The emperor has many soldiers to do his biddings. Like two stupid teenagers could do any good if those Northerners attacked." he stated matter-of-factly; his companion nodded.

The Northerners ruled by a merciless bastard who kills on a whim and had set out to take over their emperor's land. There were four different territories- North, South, East, and West. They were the Southern kingdoms- most were farmers and herders, almost all of their population made up of peasants and humans. The Eastern land was home to wolf and cat demons. There is little known of the Western land, except that it is ruled by a powerful Inu Taiyoukai, and they keep to themselves.

If possible, the black veil of night had gotten even darker. The night being a new moon there was no light to see anything.

"Is anything there? I have this odd feeling of being watched. The unnerved boy groaned at his friend. Neither of them felt a thing as a dark figure lunged and killed them easily. The man's red eyes glinted maliciously.

(Scene change)

"KAGOME!" A loud voice shattered through the morning peace.

"Yes father?" Kagome called out smiling brightly. She saw her father sitting by their ancestral shrine, most likely praying.

"It is time that you head into town we are counting on you-"

"To uphold the family honor. Yes father I know." Kagome sighed. The only thing her father had been talking about the last few days was her appointment with the matchmaker. Inwardly groaning she pasted a fake smile on her face and started toward the stable that held the family's only horse.

"I think I'm going to… pray some more." Her father mumbled.

(Another scene change)

"Kagome! Where have you been? We've been worried sick about you! Your grandmother has even bought a cricket for you to ensure good luck!" Her mother raved. Kagome groaned as she was pushed into a bathhouse.

"I have seen worse." The bathhouse's owner sighed. Kagome had branches and twigs embedded in her hair from her ride to the city. Kagome climbed into a tub of freezing cold water.

"Br." She trembled as her hair was doused in freezing water and was lathed up by scented soaps. She was, rather violently, yanked out of the tub and was given the first layer of her kimono to put on. It was a gauze- like material that did not help her get warm. The next layer was a navy blue with silver embroidery of carp. The obi was silver silk and then her hair was to be dealt with.

Kagome tried hard not to wince as two women who were fixing her pulled a brush through it. They tied it up in a lose bun with a lily comb. Next came her make-up. Her face was painted with white paint, her lips with red, eyes with a dark blue hue.

"You are ready!" Her mother declared cheerfully. He grandmother raved joyfully at the sight of her granddaughter.

A cricket cage was shoved into her Kagome's hands. "Now even you can't blow it." Her grandmother mumbled in a singsong voice.

Kagome walked nervously out of the place that she was primped up. She took a deep breath and started walking towards the place where her future would be decided. There was a line of five girls, including Kagome, walking towards the matchmaker's home. All the girls looked somber and graceful, backs straight, heads held up high, and eyes closed. They knelt in front of the matchmaker's home eyes looking at the ground, faces lowered.

"Higurashi Kagome." rotund woman called. Her face held so much make-up it looked like it was weighing her down. A sour expression crossed her face.

"I am here." Kagome called back.

"Speaking without permission." The matchmaker wrote notes down on a piece of thick parchment.

"Ops." Kagome hit herself upside the head and followed the matchmaker. She walked inside the home and the door slammed behind her. 'Why do I feel like I'm being sentenced to death?' Kagome asked herself.

"Recite the final admonition." The matchmaker commanded.

Kagome gulped. "Fulfill your duties calmly and res-respectfully. Reflect before you snack- act this shall bring you honor and glory." Kagome mentally beat herself over her stupid mistake.

"Humph. This way." The matchmaker dragged the poor girl by the arm over to a small table and knelt behind it. "Now, pour the tea. To please your future in-laws you must demonstrate a sense of dignity and refinement." Kagome poured the tea spilling a little. As the matchmaker picked up the cup, only then did Kagome see the cricket that was once in the cage at her side was now using the teacup as a hot spring. Her eyes widened.

"Um, pardon me?" Kagome said meekly.

"Be silent!" The matchmaker thundered. She sniffed the tea and the cricket's antennae almost went up her nose.

"If I could just have that back- one moment." Kagome grunted trying to pry the cup out of the older woman's hands. Instead of getting the cup back the hot tea spilt all over the matchmaker.

"AHA!" She cried dancing around like a fool. The Matchmaker fell on a hot brazier and her backside caught on fire. "Put it out put it out." She cried like a mad woman.

"I think it's going well don't you?" Grandmother asked. Her daughter shook her head.

Matchmaker fell out the front doors. Kagome did the only thing she could think of. She took the teakettle that was now cool and threw the tea on the matchmaker. Silently she handed the teapot to the older woman and hurried away.

The matchmaker, make-up running, huffed over to the three generations of Higurashi women and threw the teapot down. "YOU ARE A DISGRACE!" She roared. "You may look like a bride but you will never bring your family honor!" She walked off gracelessly and Kagome bowed her head in shame.

Mollicia: As I said loosely based on Mulan.

InuYasha: Will you psycho's let me go!

Treelovr: Not until you come into the story and hug a tree! put's leash on inu

Danica: will you let him go? (Danica is the voice of reason in this group)

Mollicia & Treelovr: NEVER!

Disclaimer- No we don't own the any one from Inu Yasha or the plot line of Mulan. Don't you people get tired of reading these? I sure as hell get tired of typing them

Mollicia: This, like I said earlier, is loosely based on Mulan. There will be some scenes that we have made up and some scenes-

Danica: like the bathing-

Treelovr- and the whole shirtless captain thing-

Mollicia- In the story

M&T&D: REVIEW!


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